Sudan suspends relations with IGAD ahead Kampala Summit

Sudan’s Foreign Ministry has announced that it is suspending cooperation with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in response to the ongoing crisis in Sudan.

The move comes two days before a meeting in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. IGAD convened the summit to assess developments in Sudan and Somalia.

The decision to cut ties with the east African regional bloc is expected to exacerbate Sudan’s isolation in the region and raise tensions with regional and international organizations.

The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group have been fighting for nine months in a brutal war that has displaced millions.

Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the decision came after IGAD added Sudan to the agenda of a meeting scheduled for Kampala on January 18 and invited the RSF’s leader, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo – known as Hemedti – to attend.

The ministry criticised the invitation extended to Hemedti as a “dangerous precedent” in IGAD’s history and a violation of Sudan’s sovereignty, viewing it as a significant breach of the bloc’s charters and the rules governing international and regional organizations.

The Sudanese Sovereignty Council stressed the importance of implementing decisions from the previous IGAD summit held in Djibouti in December.

Two days ago, there was an attempt to arrange a meeting between Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Hemedti.

However, Hemedti couldn’t attend, citing “technical reasons,” and instead conducted a diplomatic tour in various African countries.